Valentine's Month Blog Tour

THIS MONTH, I'm going to participate in....


The Wild Rose Press Valentine's Month Blog Tour

Eleven TWRP authors have teamed up for a blog tour of themes from the heart of writing. Meet some of the authors from TWRP and discover how their personal stories influenced their writing.

WIN PRIZES

Leave a comment on any of the blogs to enter to win a weekly prize. One commenter will be chosen from each blog each week. One random winner will be chosen from these 11 for a weekly double-or-nothing prize.

Weekly chosen commenters who don't win the weekly prize will automatically be entered for a triple-or-nothing grand prize at the end of the tour. Winners will be posted on all the blogs. The more blogs you comment on, the better your chances of winning because you could be chosen more than once each week! Prizes start at $20 and increase each week to a grand prize worth over $50!

Blog Tour Itinerary

Wednesday, February 2nd - Blog Topic - The Significance of First Lines

--Meet contemporary YA an adult romance author Linda Kage (ME!) at
http://amielouellen.wordpress.com/

--Meet contemporary, paranormal, and historical romance author
Caroline Clemmons at http://authorjenniferjakes.blogspot.com/

--Meet historical and paranormal romance writer Lilly Gayle at
http://www.ajbooks.blogspot.com/

--Meet Amie Louellen, author of fun and whimsical contemporary
romance at http://lynneroberts.blogspot.com/

--Meet erotic western historical author Jennifer Jakes at
http://maevegreyson.blogspot.com/

--Meet author AJ Nuest at http://amycorwin.blogspot.com/

--Meet author Lynne Roberts at http://www.jilljameswrites.com/

--Meet paranormal romance author Maeve Greyson at
http://www.katduncan.net/writeabout

--Meet author Amy Corwin at http://lindakage.blogspot.com/ (HERE)

--Meet contemporary and paranormal romance author Jill James at
http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/

--Meet romantic suspense author Kat Duncan at
http://www.lillygayleromance.blogspot.com/




While you're there visiting, bookmark all the blogs for easy access all month:


Wednesday, February 9th - Blog Topic - Where Creative Ideas Come From

Wednesday, February 16th - Blog Topic - Meeting Your Significant Other

Wednesday, February 23rd - Blog Topic - Developing Unique Characters

Start the week with NANCY HENDERSON

Cade stared at the Indian. “Excuse me?”

“We have to leave.”

“Why?”

“It is not safe for you to be here.”

Cade blinked. Hunter had chased her through the woods then shot her. Now he was concerned with her safety? Where the bloody hell did he expect her to go? She didn’t know whether she could even sit up by herself, let alone stand and walk out of here.

Weakness blurred logic, dove straight to her bones. How was it this man, nearly her killer, was now the only person who spoke English here and, in a sense, her lifeline?

The last time she’d left this alone was when Ben had been called to war, but at least then she was able to take care of herself. She knew how to hunt, how to provide the basic necessities for her survival. Now she couldn’t even take care of herself. She had been shot to pieces and was in the custody of the man who had done this to her and was now ordered her to leave.

“Where am I supposed to go?”

“I will keep you safe.” His voice was like honey dripping from his fingers. Where there had been hardness in his gaze, a tiny sliver of softness appeared. Empathy? Had she imaged it? This…man held no tolerance for anyone or anything. Why would he possibly care about her safety?

Something deep in his black eyes made her want to trust him if only for a brief moment. They were a safe haven in a sea of uncertainty and violence, retribution which she had been plotting for well over a year.

“What is your name?”

“Cade.” Her expression was automatic. “Julia Cadence…Cade…Skye. Everyone calls me Cade.”

Cade had no idea why she told him her full name. She was simply Cade to everyone, had always been. Nothing simple about her or her life anymore.

“I am Kaieri Kikawera Ke.”

The words rolled off his tongue like water over rock. “What does that mean?”

“Hunter Of The Four Winds.”

Hunter. She closed her eyes against her aching brain, reopened them to find him still staring. Intense eyes that dove straight into her soul.

Something broke inside. An electrical charge. It drew her into him, made him more aware of herself from the tips of her nipples to somewhere deep. Somewhere she had no intention of ever revealing to him.

She swallowed. “Well, the name suits you.”

He frowned. Insulting him had not been her intention. She bit her lip. It felt cracked and peeling.

“If you knew I was after Grey, why didn’t you shoot to kill? Why did you let me live?”

“I always shoot to kill.”

“Then why do I live?”


********************
You just read an excerpt from:
FOUR WINDS
by
Nancy Henderson
Buy LINK: DCL PUBLICATIONS
********************
Today, we’re here with published author, Nancy Henderson.

Linda Kage: Hi, Nancy! Tell us a little about you and what you write please.

Nancy:Thanks for having me, Linda. I write in paranormal romance and historical romance. I don't write under any pen names.

Kage: What happened to the first book you ever wrote?

Nancy: It's in a file cabinet. It's just terrible, but I keep it because it's close to my heart. The story, however, didn't make much sense. Vampires, time travel, sci fi. I had it all in about 800 pages. LOL

Kage:What’s your backlist and coming soon bookshelf look like?

Nancy: Well, my latest two releases were Wicked Redemption, a paranormal romance, and Stranger In His Bed, a historical romance.

Kage: So, what story are we going to talk about today?

Nancy: I have two new releases. Four Winds is a historical romance set during the French and Indian war. Heroine, Cade, is determined to avenge the death of her husband by killing Colonel Grey, the very same man hero, Hunter, is sworn to protect. Four Winds is published with DCL Publishing (http://www.darkcastlelords.com)

Ghost Of A Chance is a paranormal romance that comes out in February. What happens when mortal and ghost fall in love? Nothing short of upsetting the balance between heaven and hell. Ghost Of A Chance is published with Champagne Books (http://www.champagnebooks.com)

********************BLURB********************
FOUR WINDS
by
Nancy Henderson

A killer sworn to protect the one she risked everything to destroy.

Revenge is all Julia “Cade” Skye has left. Determined to avenge the death of her husband, Cade is shot by one of Colonel Grey’s men, Hunter, a local native sworn to protect Grey.

Not realizing he shot a woman, Hunter has no choice but to take Cade home to his people and nurse her back to health. While recovering, Cade opens up a world to Hunter, one of compassion and understanding, something the hardened warrior never had. Hunter, in turn, teaches Cade that forgiveness is possible. Can they each forget the pain of their pasts and find a future with one another?
*********************************************

Kage: What would the story be rated if it were a movie?

Nancy: I'd hope that all my books were R rated! LOL!/span>.

Kage: If you HAD to fit this story into a cliché, which one

would it be?

Nancy: I would have to say all my books fit into the forbidden love cliche. I love that theme, so I guess I tend to use it in my own books.

Kage:Okay, now that we have a general idea which class to fit your two books

under, what makes this book so unique from every other book out there?

Nancy: Hmmm....tough one. Four Winds is set during the French and Indian war, a time period you don't see done very often. I love the Colonial period. America was a vast melting pot, rich with many, many cultures coming together oftentimes in hostile environments. Danger and adventure at every corner with stories just begging to be written! With Ghost Of A Chance....well, the hero, Nathan McGraw is dead. Oh, and I'm still madly in love with the demon villan! (Did I mention I love the bad boys? LOL!)

Kage:What was the easiest part to write?

Nancy: Dialogue always comes easy for me. Conversations play in my head as if I'm actually hearing them. Does this mean I have voices in my head? Maybe... Pacing is always a struggle for me. When editing I have to write out a timeline, Post Its all over the walls of my office. It gets pretty messy. Sort of like wading through quicksand while wearing lead boots.

Kage:What do you like most about the main character(s) and what do you like

least? Did you learn anything from them?

Nancy: The quality I love about my heroines is that they are strong, determined women who never let the odds, life, or others stand in their way or what they believe in. I hate it when conflict drives my heroes and heroines apart. And after I wrap up the conflict, I always take it as a lesson in plotting. "Next time," I say, "I will outline first so I don't get myself in this plot mess." Then another story idea takes hold and I'm off and running...without an outline!

Kage:Nancy, Thank you so much for stopping by today and gracing us with

your presence. Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to say to wrap things up?

Nancy: I love to hear from readers. Visit my blog to talk about books, reading, knitting (my second love), oh, and of course cats. You can't have just one!

If you're still curious about Nancy, here are other places to find her on the web:

Website: http://www.nancyhenderson.com/

Blog: http://nancyhenderson.blogspot.com/


Twitter: Nancy E. Henderson

Publisher Page: Champagne Books

Publisher Page: DCL Publications

End the week with LAURA KAYE

Meet Lucien!! Hero of FOREVER FREED by Laura Kaye


Now lets meet Lucien's author!! Today, we’re here with published author, Laura Kaye.

Laura: I want to start out by thanking Linda for having me over today!

Linda Kage: Well, thank you for stopping by, Laura. Why don't you tell us a little about you and what you write please.

Laura:My first reading love was paranormal romance, so it’s no surprise that’s also where I cut my teeth on writing fiction. Besides paranormal, I also write contemporary and erotic romance (the latter I’ll publish under Layla Kane). On my most recent project, I took a pretty big genre detour and wrote a women’s romantic fiction because the story idea just wouldn’t leave me alone. Though I’m a historian in “real life,” so far I haven’t been lured by historical fiction—the required research might just make it a little too much like work for me! I guess the multiple genres makes me a little schizophrenic, but each one poses different challenges that I love to take on, and regardless of genre, I’m always exploring people’s (or vampires’, etc.!) basic need to belong, to feel connected, to not be alone.

Kage: What happened to the first book you ever wrote?

Laura:There are so many ways to answer this! The first “book” I ever wrote was a handwritten paranormal retelling of The Secret Garden when I was fourteen. In my mind then, it was a book. I wish I knew whatever happened to that! I remember feeling like I was engaged in such a serious endeavor while writing it. LOL The first true novel I ever finished was Forever Freed’s great-grandfather, or at least that’s how it feels given how many iterations Forever Freed went through before becoming what it is today. The first draft came out at a whopping 150,000 words and was structured more as urban fantasy than romance. Watching approximately 60,000 words drop to the cutting-room floor as I edited was painful but necessary. Plus I have in mind maybe reworking the chopped-off beginning that most of those words represent as a prequel to what will ultimately be a 4-book series.

Kage:What’s your backlist and coming soon bookshelf look like?

Laura:My debut books are releasing this spring from The Wild Rose Press, a paranormal novel called Forever Freed and a contemporary novella called Hearts in Darkness. So there’s a whole lot coming soon!

Kage: Alright then, let's talk about FOREVER FREED. Spill all the good stuff!

Laura: Forever Freed will be released this spring by The Wild Rose Press (release date expected any day!).

********************BLURB********************
FOREVER FREED
by
Laura Kaye
Empathic vampire Lucien Demarco, sired in a horrific attack that left his human wife and child dead, never lets himself know a human beyond the horrified emotions he drinks down when starvation forces him to feed. When an alternate blood source becomes available just as Lucien gains new neighbors—a beautiful human woman radiating an alluring joy and her young daughter—he struggles over his contradictory needs for the healing, absolving emotions her blood promises and the newfound comfort and affection their companionship offers. As Lucien’s friendship with Samantha and her daughter Olivia deepens, awakening the long-lost man and father inside him, he must decide exactly what he craves most.

Coming SOON to THE WILD ROSE PRESS
*********************************************

Kage: What would the story be rated if it were a movie?

Laura: I love this! Definitely R. There are G-rated romances? My pervy brain must be steering me clear of those titles. LOL.

Kage: If you HAD to fit this story into a cliché, which one would it be?

Laura:Beauty and the beautiful-brooding-Italian-fanged Beast. Without question. ;)

Kage:Okay, now that we have a general idea which class to fit FOREVER FREED under, what makes this book so unique from every other book out there?

Laura: One thing that makes this vampire romance different is the vampire’s quite close and central relationship with a 5-year-old girl, the heroine’s daughter. Her innocence and acceptance disarms him completely and is just so sweet! I’ve always been fascinated with the idea that children, free from preconceived ideas of what’s possible and real in the world, have a greater capacity for perception and acceptance of the paranormal. So I play with that here. And when you find out what little Ollie thinks Lucien is, You. Will. Melt. Guaranteed! LOL

Kage:What was the easiest part to write?

Laura: This book was the fastest thing I ever wrote. Them there 150,000 words I mentioned above? Yeah, they spilled out into a completed draft in under 12 weeks. It wasn’t always easy, exactly, but this story and its characters slammed nearly fully formed into my head and took root there so deeply that it changed my music interests for months. Lucien is a tortured soul, and it was while channeling him that I fell in love, for example, with Linkin Park, whose songs might as well have been written with my guy in mind! LOL I couldn’t even listen to fluffy pop music for about six months—it literally rankled me like Lucien was another personality in my brain. I knew him intimately from the very beginning, so he was always easy to write—and still is.

Kage:What do you like most about the main character(s) and what do you like least? Did you learn anything from them?

Laura: Lucien is so easy to love, but what I most like is how much he appreciates everything that develops in his relationship with Sam and Ollie because it’s all so new to him. Maybe what I like the least is his penchant to think himself unworthy, and to sometimes act on that feeling. About Samantha, I love the way she’s devoted her life to her daughter, despite the hardships it’s imposed on her. That also relates to something I don’t like about her, but I can’t say more without ruining an important moment in the climax! ;) Ollie is just complete awesomesauce from beginning to end.

Kage:Laura, Thank you so much for stopping by today and gracing us with your presence. Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to say to wrap things up?

Laura: I think everyone can relate to the healing power of second chances, and at root that’s what Lucien’s really searching for in Forever Freed. Watch my website for release date information and contests—free stuff will abound shortly!

If you're still curious about Laura, here are other places to find her on the web:

Website: http://www.laurakayeauthor.com/ (under construction)

Blog: http://laurakayeauthor.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/laurakayeauthor

Twitter: @laurakayeauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3703867